---
title: "Why does a personal brand matter more than a company logo now?"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/ae6d9737-1bb8-46ba-afa2-92183a29d2d7
source_url: "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/reflection-what-i-learned-room-16-female-founders-entrepreneurs-d37fe/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/284d6fbf-ed25-4184-99ab-8150f9de1e9a
summary: "James Orsini reflects on lessons learned at a vYve cohort offsite in NYC focused on female founders and entrepreneurs, emphasizing themes of play, authentic personal branding, storytelling, and the importance of listening to women's voices in business. Key takeaways include the power of visibility, kindness in leadership, and how diverse perspectives and meaningful connections drive transformation and growth."
tags: "female-founders, entrepreneurship, personal-growth, leadership, networking, play-bigger, authentic-branding"
key_entities: "James Orsini (person), Maha Abouelenein (person), vYve (organization), NYC (location), Oregon University (location), personal-branding (concept), authentic-storytelling (concept), International Day of Play (event)"
classification: "memo"
content_hash: "sha256:5833ff0f9fe14820154f5ffc6ca325a1fefb4b77b605f52f834a8b1bc0e2c2c6"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 971
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# Why does a personal brand matter more than a company logo now?

By James Orsini I’m just settling back in after a 2 day offsite in NYC with our most recent vYve cohort. I was thrilled to see the personal growth in many of our vYve alumni who attended as well. Real physical manifested change in their appearance, stature and countenance. Well done ladies! For sure, you are never too old to stop learning. While I wasn’t the only man in the room, I was one of only three in this group. Most (not all) presenters were women as well over those two days. So many valuable lessons learned. The theme was play bigger. I learned that it is not only OK to play as an adult but encouraged. No permission needed, you have the right to play. I am writing this on The International Day of Play 6/11/26. We learned that play is different for everyone. From organized board games with rules, to indoor and outdoor sports with structure, to free style artistic endeavors, to quality time alone or with someone you care to have fun with. Want to have an adult play date? …. Yep, I do! We discussed the power of storytelling and its importance to our personal brand; a.k.a. your reputation. I learned long gone are the days when our trust was put into corporate Logos. People more than ever trust the authenticity of individuals. Brand Called You session led by Maha Abouelenein The age of Logo was about authority, but the age of the person is driven by authenticity. Do you have an anchor statement upon which to build your personal story? I learned that silence does not scale. If you are not visible you are invisible. I learned from professional comedians doing stand up and improvisation to read the room, react quickly, deflect negativity, stay on the course, do your homework, be prepared, laugh and have fun. As an advisor, consultant and business coach my read of this room of powerful female is telling me a few things I will glean going forward: Being heard matters: I will listen more than I speak. Women in business need to be heard. I need to understand what they are feeling and how they are operating before simply jumping in quickly to solve their business problem. They are more open to receiving them if they feel they are heard and seen. Careers change… pain stays: We’ve all had someone wrong us. For many it’s hard to move on. Kindness always wins. It’s my favorite soft skill of leadership. It’s not hard to be nice. In a tense situation before speaking let’s ask three questions: a. Does this need to be said? Hmmm.. b. Does this need to be said by me? Huh… c. Does this need to be said by me now? Ouch… We can all learn from women with experience and wisdom: I was on a panel with 2 women yesterday with students from Oregon University. One graduating male student who was a business major and going to work in Insurance asked what’s one piece of advice you would give me as I enter the workforce and start my career? a. One woman said, “Pay attention to your female co-workers and what they are going through.” b. One woman said “you have it, now encourage your female counterparts to gain some analytical or basic finance / budget skills.” I trust my fellow men in the room over these past few days have had similar observations. I know we’ve each gained a much better perspective and will apply my recent learnings. The right room can change the way you think, lead, and grow. At vYve, we believe that meaningful conversations, diverse perspectives, and authentic connections create the conditions for transformation. Whether you're building a business, navigating a career transition, or looking to play bigger in your next chapter, the people you surround yourself with matter. For more insights, founder stories, leadership lessons, and opportunities to connect with ambitious women who are redefining what's possible, comment below and we would love to invite you to our next in real life experience. Until next time, -vYve Team 💜